Industry Awards
When selecting new copiers, printers and MFPs, should you also consider the number of industry awards that the products have won? That depends. Some reviewers base their decisions only on a device’s specifications, and may give awards out without ever actually having tested the product. In some cases, awards may be based on a quick tour of the product in a manufacturer’s showroom or at a trade show; in others, awards might be based only on press release specifications, which don’t reflect how the machines really operate under real-world conditions (or how they really operate at all).
In contrast, at Buyers Lab, the only devices even considered for awards are those products that have been tested in the BLI laboratory over the course of weeks or months, under a broad range of grueling real-world conditions, meeting a large number of demands. A BLI “Pick” Award is only given to products that demonstrate outstanding overall performance in areas including high productivity, excellent ease of use, quality graphics reproduction and an excellent overall value equation.
In short, an award is only as good as the company that bestows it. A product that receives a BLI “Pick” Award, or “Highly Recommended” rating and “reliability certificate” has earned the honor for excellence during a rigorous trial by fire with BLI’s experienced staff of laboratory technicians.